Franklin Delano Roosevelt statistics at a glance
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s life is unusually rich in dates, counts, and firsts, which makes his record easy to study through numbers. The most useful way to read these Franklin Delano Roosevelt statistics is to group them into milestones: birth and education, family, elections, New Deal governance, and the details that shaped how he was remembered.
Table of contents
- Fast facts
- Birth, family, and education
- Political rise and election totals
- Inaugurations, amendments, and governing pace
- Fireside chats and public communication
- Vetoes and federal recordkeeping
- Personal details and final figures
Fast facts
At a glance, these are the headline Franklin Delano Roosevelt statistics that define the shape of his public life:
- Born on January 30, 1882, at Springwood in Hyde Park, New York (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- Born at 9 pm and recorded with a birth weight of 10 lbs (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- Entered Groton School in September 1896 at age 14 (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- Became a Harvard College freshman at age 18 after his father died on December 8, 1900 (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- Earned a B.A. in history from Harvard in 1903 (FDR Presidential Library biography).
- Studied at Columbia Law School from 1903 to 1905 (FDR Presidential Library biography).
- Married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17, 1905, in New York City (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- Had six children total, with five of the six surviving infancy (FDR Presidential Library facts; FDR Presidential Library biography).
- Won 472 electoral votes in 1932, 523 in 1936, 449 in 1940, and 432 in 1944 (National Archives 1932 Electoral College Results; National Archives 1936 Electoral College Results; National Archives 1940 Electoral College Results; National Archives 1944 Electoral College Results).
- The 1936 victory was the largest landslide in American history, with 523 electoral votes equaling 98.49% (National Archives FDR inaugurations blog).
- In his first 100 days, 15 major pieces of legislation and executive actions were implemented (National Archives FDR, Archivist).
- In 1933 and 1934, 20 new alphabet agencies were established (National Archives FDR, Archivist).
- Roosevelt vetoed 635 bills in total, including 372 regular vetoes and 263 pocket vetoes (U.S. Senate vetoes PDF).
Birth, family, and education
The earliest Franklin Delano Roosevelt statistics already show a pattern: precise dates, strong institutional connections, and an early trajectory toward elite education and public service.
He was born on January 30, 1882 at Springwood in Hyde Park, New York (FDR Presidential Library facts). The record also notes that he was born at 9 pm and weighed 10 lbs at birth (FDR Presidential Library facts). Those details are not political in themselves, but they help anchor the historical record with a level of precision that is useful for timeline work.
His schooling moved quickly into the standard pipeline for leadership in his era. He entered Groton School in September 1896 at age 14 (FDR Presidential Library facts), then became a Harvard College freshman at age 18 after his father died on December 8, 1900 (FDR Presidential Library facts). That sequence matters because it ties a personal turning point to a documented educational transition.
A compact view of the early timeline helps show how concentrated those years were:
| Date or period | Statistic | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| January 30, 1882 | Born at Springwood in Hyde Park, New York | FDR Presidential Library facts |
| 9 pm | Birth time | FDR Presidential Library facts |
| 10 lbs | Birth weight | FDR Presidential Library facts |
| September 1896 | Entered Groton School at age 14 | FDR Presidential Library facts |
| 1900 to 1903 | Transitioned to Harvard after his father’s death; earned a B.A. in history in 1903 | FDR Presidential Library facts; FDR Presidential Library biography |
| 1903 to 1905 | Studied at Columbia Law School | FDR Presidential Library biography |
That table makes one broader point obvious: Roosevelt’s early life moved through institutions on a tight schedule. He went from Groton to Harvard to Columbia Law School in a short span, and the dates are neat enough to map almost year by year.
His academic record is also a reminder that the New Deal president was not simply a politician by training. He earned a B.A. in history from Harvard in 1903 and then studied at Columbia Law School from 1903 to 1905 (FDR Presidential Library biography). Those two entries show a move from undergraduate history training to legal study without any gap in the documented chronology.
Birth, family, and education details that shape the record
A few family numbers stand out because they are easy to overlook when discussing a long public career.
Roosevelt married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17, 1905, in New York City (FDR Presidential Library facts). He had six children total (FDR Presidential Library facts), and five of his six children survived infancy (FDR Presidential Library biography). The same facts list the children individually and by date: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on May 3, 1906; James Roosevelt on December 23, 1907; Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. on March 18, 1909 and died on November 8, 1909; Elliott Roosevelt on September 23, 1910; another Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. on August 17, 1914; and John Roosevelt on March 13, 1916 (FDR Presidential Library facts).
That family chronology reveals a few things that are useful for researchers:
- The marriage date is fixed early in the public timeline: March 17, 1905 (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- The children arrive across a long span, from 1906 to 1916 (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- One child’s early death is explicitly documented, which is important when reconstructing the family record (FDR Presidential Library facts).
Political rise and election totals
Roosevelt’s political ascent can be read as a steady accumulation of offices before the presidency itself. The statistics show a clear climb from state politics to national leadership.
He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1910 and re-elected to a second state senate term in 1912 (FDR Presidential Library facts). He then became Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1913 and served in that role from 1913 to 1920 (FDR Presidential Library facts; National Archives WWI leaders article). After that, he was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1920 (FDR Presidential Library facts).
The next electoral milestones are more familiar, but the vote totals make the scale easier to measure. Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York in 1928 and re-elected in 1930 (FDR Presidential Library facts). Then came the presidential runs:
| Election year | Roosevelt electoral votes | Main opponent | Opponent electoral votes | National Archives source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 472 | Herbert Hoover | 59 | 1932 Electoral College Results |
| 1936 | 523 | Alfred M. Landon | 8 | 1936 Electoral College Results |
| 1940 | 449 | Wendell L. Willkie | 82 | 1940 Electoral College Results |
| 1944 | 432 | Thomas E. Dewey | 99 | 1944 Electoral College Results |
That table shows why Roosevelt is so often discussed in terms of scale. He did not just win repeatedly; he won with numbers that were electorally overwhelming, especially in 1936, when his 523 electoral votes made the race the largest landslide in American history and represented 98.49% of electoral votes (National Archives FDR inaugurations blog).
The 1932 election is also notable because it involved 531 total electoral votes, with 266 needed for a majority (National Archives 1932 Electoral College Results). Roosevelt’s 472 votes gave him a decisive margin over Hoover’s 59 (National Archives 1932 Electoral College Results). That same pattern of large margins carried into 1936, 1940, and 1944, even though the exact vote totals changed from cycle to cycle.
Inaugurations, amendments, and governing pace
Roosevelt’s presidency is tied to two important institutional dates: the end of the old March inauguration schedule and the beginning of the January 20 schedule.
He took office on March 4, 1933, and was the last president inaugurated on that date (National Archives inauguration quiz). He also became the first president inaugurated on January 20 in 1937 (National Archives inauguration quiz). Later, he was inaugurated for a third term on January 20, 1941 (National Archives 20th Amendment exhibit).
Those dates matter because they sit next to another major constitutional fact: the 20th Amendment was ratified on January 23, 1933 (National Archives 20th Amendment exhibit). Put together, the statistics show a transition point in how presidential time was organized.
Why the dates matter
The simplest reading is this:
- March 4, 1933 marks the end of one inauguration era (National Archives inauguration quiz).
- January 23, 1933 marks the ratification of the amendment that changed the system (National Archives 20th Amendment exhibit).
- January 20, 1937 marks Roosevelt’s role in establishing the new schedule in practice (National Archives inauguration quiz).
Roosevelt’s first term also had a fast legislative pace. In his first 100 days, 15 major pieces of legislation and executive actions were implemented (National Archives FDR, Archivist). In 1933 and 1934, 20 new alphabet agencies were established (National Archives FDR, Archivist). Those numbers do not explain every policy outcome, but they do show the speed of the administrative buildout during the New Deal years.
Fireside chats and public communication
Roosevelt’s communication style is one of the clearest quantitative signatures of his presidency. The fire-side chat archive gives a rare count-based view of how he reached the public.
The New Deal fireside chat program began on March 12, 1933 (FDR Presidential Library curriculum hubs). The best information available at the FDR Library says there were definitely 28 fireside chats, while the same library says the count could be extended to as many as 33 (FDR Presidential Library audio collections). That range is useful because it shows that even a seemingly simple count can depend on how the archival material is categorized.
A separate archival note says 25 fireside chats recorded between July 24, 1933 and July 28, 1934 were placed on broadcast discs (National Archives press release). That gives a narrower production window inside the larger communications record.
A compact summary helps keep the communication record straight:
- Program start: March 12, 1933 (FDR Presidential Library curriculum hubs).
- Minimum confirmed chats: 28 (FDR Presidential Library audio collections).
- Possible extended count: as many as 33 (FDR Presidential Library audio collections).
- Broadcast discs: 25 recorded chats from July 24, 1933 to July 28, 1934 (National Archives press release).
The most important thing here is not only volume but repetition. A president who uses this many broadcasts creates an unusually measurable public voice.
Vetoes and federal recordkeeping
Roosevelt’s veto totals provide another hard-number way to measure the presidency. The U.S. Senate veto data say he vetoed 635 bills in total (U.S. Senate vetoes PDF). Of those, 372 were regular vetoes and 263 were pocket vetoes (U.S. Senate vetoes PDF). Nine Roosevelt vetoes were overridden by Congress (U.S. Senate vetoes PDF).
That breakdown is useful because it separates the total into distinct veto types:
| Veto category | Count | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Regular vetoes | 372 | U.S. Senate vetoes PDF |
| Pocket vetoes | 263 | U.S. Senate vetoes PDF |
| Total vetoes | 635 | U.S. Senate vetoes PDF |
| Overrides | 9 | U.S. Senate vetoes PDF |
The numbers show both frequency and durability. A total of 635 vetoes suggests an executive branch that was heavily engaged with legislation, while 9 overrides show that most vetoes held.
The 1940 census adds a different kind of administrative snapshot. Roosevelt was listed as 58 years old; his residence was 1600 Pennsylvania Ave; his occupation was President of U.S.A; and the census shows he worked 52 weeks in 1939 and had income of $5000+ (National Archives 1940 census transcript). That’s the kind of factual entry that turns a famous person into a documented household record.
Personal details and final figures
Some of the most memorable Franklin Delano Roosevelt statistics are the personal measurements and final-life details that sit outside policy and elections.
The FDR Presidential Library facts list him as 6’2” tall, with an approximate weight of 182 lbs (FDR Presidential Library facts). His shirt size was 16 3/4 neck and 35 sleeve, his hat size was 7 and 3/8, and his shoe size was 12 (FDR Presidential Library facts). He was also a 32nd degree Mason (FDR Presidential Library facts).
Those numbers do not change the historical interpretation of the presidency, but they do add dimension to the archival record. They are the sort of details that historians and researchers often use to cross-check identity, portraiture, and biographical references.
Other final-life figures are more ceremonial. Roosevelt’s funeral train moved no faster than 35 miles per hour (FDR Presidential Library facts). The Warm Springs funeral procession included 2,000 soldiers from Fort Benning (FDR Presidential Library facts). The Episcopal funeral service at the White House lasted 23 minutes (FDR Presidential Library facts).
Even Fala appears in the record with dates: Fala was born on April 7, 1940 and went to live at the White House on November 10, 1940 (FDR Presidential Library facts). That sort of detail shows how broad Roosevelt’s documented story is, extending from the public office down to the household level.
A final set of Roosevelt statistics is among the most surprising:
- His personal stamp collection numbered over 1,200,000 stamps at his death (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- About 80% of that collection was described as little value or scrap (FDR Presidential Library facts).
- The stamp collection sold for $228,000.00 at auction (FDR Presidential Library facts).
That combination of size, quality mix, and sale price makes the collection one of the most distinctive post-presidential numbers in the file. It is also a reminder that Roosevelt’s life can be measured in more than elections and laws. The archive includes household objects, ceremonial details, and private hobbies alongside public action.
The broadest takeaway from these Franklin Delano Roosevelt statistics is that his record is both extensive and unusually quantifiable. You can trace him from January 30, 1882 to the presidency, from 472 electoral votes in 1932 to 432 in 1944, from 15 major measures in the first 100 days to 635 vetoes, and from the 28 confirmed fireside chats to a personal stamp collection of over 1,200,000 stamps (FDR Presidential Library facts; National Archives sources; U.S. Senate vetoes PDF).